The Lions seem content with the short-term solution. They've slapped the franchise tag on the 26-year-old defensive end, which will pay him $10.6 million for one season. Avril wants a long-term deal that would provide him with more long-term security.

We know there have been plenty of discussions between the two sides, but we don't know the exact details. The Lions say they've put a variety of options on the table, while Avril's agent, Brian Mackler, has declined to share any of those figures.

So what is Avril worth? It's a tough question to answer, but one worth exploring.

On the surface, Avril had a career year last season, recording 11 sacks, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and his first interception, which he returned for a touchdown against San Diego in Week 16.

But the surface isn't where value is determined. First, let's look at the sacks. Of the 11, the impact of two were negated by penalty -- a face mask infraction against the Bears in Week 5 and a horse collar on Oakland's Carson Palmer in Week 15.

In addition, six of Avril's sacks were forced fumbles, most where he was able to reach out with one arm and swat the ball from the quarterback's grasp. It takes a special awareness to dislodge the ball from the quarterback while engaged by a blocker, but it's a difficult statistic to project repeat success.

Now, a common misconception is that Avril's achievements are a direct result of the attention his fellow defensive lineman receive, but it's simply not true. The Lions rarely rush more than four, and the other lineman don't see a disproportionate amount of double-teams. Football Outsiders did an excellent analysis of all 11 of Avril's sacks and explain why he deserves nearly all the credit for the plays.

All factors considered, Avril is an impact pass rusher off the edge, although it shouldn't surprise anyone if his sack total plateaus or even dips slightly next season.

Beyond the pass rush, another key responsibility of a defensive end is containing the run. Without going over the film play-by-play, it's difficult to illustrate how well any one player performs against the ground game, but here's an attempt.

On carries around the right end, Lions' opponents averaged 5.59 yards per carry. On runs off right tackle, that number was 5.77 yards per attempt. Those rates were 26th and 27th in the NFL.

In addition to those statistics, Pro Football Focus, which evaluates and grades every NFL play, rated Avril 33rd out of 40 defensive ends against the run.

Overall, Avril is a good player, and his speed off the edge makes him a nice fit for how Detroit likes to attack the quarterback, but he's not an elite. His success, consistent improvement and age are enough to merit a long-term contract, but not one on par with the highest-paid players at his position.

What you'll notice, outside of Johnson and Wake, these players had a track record of success that spanned multiple seasons. Last season was Avril's first double-digit sack campaign, and his overall tackle production is lower than every other player on the list.

Obviously there's the health risk, but Avril will have a better chance of making a case for a long-term deal with one more season of high-level production playing under the franchise contract this season.

As it currently stands, Avril is deserving of a contract a tier below the deals listed above. If I were managing the Lions' finances, I would put a contract on the table for no more than $9-10 million per season, half of which was guaranteed. But if he goes out this season and increases his sack production for fourth straight season while improving as a run defender, you have to start looking at paying him like an elite defensive end.